Bears knock off Falcons

3A state runner-up Kodiak builds early lead, holds on

Posted: Sunday, August 23, 2009

By Shaun T. Cox

KODIAK - Kodiak jumped up to a 21-0 lead after scoring on its first three possessions and went on to defeat Thunder Mountain High School 48-20 at Joe Floyd Track and Field in the Falcons' second game ever.

Byouer said TMHS, which lost its opener 20-6 to Sitka two weeks ago, said his fledgling Falcons are starting to look more and more like a team every day, no matter the final score.

"Our senior leadership is starting tostep up, the few (seniors) we have,” he said. “The kids are coming together, and they never quit. We got behind 28-0 and turned it around. We had some interceptions that we threw at the goal line, and a halfback pass where the kid was going into the end zone and the defender came back up and tomahawked the ball out and they got it back at the 2-yard line.

“We’re coming together,” he continued. “Kodiak is a big team, and with our freshmen and sophomores, we are getting a lot out of them, and we are definitely improving.”

The Bears racked up 155 yards on their opening three drives in the first quarter before getting another touchdown and taking a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter. Thunder Mountain got on the board with a safety around the 10-minute mark of the second quarter after a group of Falcons wrapped up Kodiak running back Zach Watkins in the end zone.

TMHS came right back with a with a 2-yard Camden Thomas touchdown run to cut the deficit to 20, 28-8 after the PAT was blocked.

Kodiak’s Raphael Matautia returned a punt 60 yards for a score, but Thomas connected with Brian Brassfield with a 31-yard, over-the-shoulder floater for a touchdown. Brassfield beat the Kodiak defender and made a tough catch on

fourth-and-13.

Buzzy Hotch scored the Falcons’ final touchdown on a 6-yard run in the third quarter before the Bears’ Travis Marion returned an interception nine yards for a pick 6, setting the final score.

Brassfield had two catches for 90 yards and a score, and Lave Iputi had a standout game, Byouer said.

“And we had three interceptions by Brandon Shaw and Jack Clark,” Byouer said. “We had a couple of fumble recoveries and blocked three field goals. Chase Riley blocked two, and Jordan Hakala blocked one.”